The identification of a “suspicious” man on a moped in Lebanon led to his arrest and preliminary charges for dealing in methamphetamine earlier this month.
On Aug. 7, around 11:45 a.m., a detective with the Boone County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Intelligence Unit reportedly observed a suspicious male operating a red Zeta moped in the 800 block of West South Street in Lebanon. The man was later identified as Juan Perez.
The detective reportedly requested assistance from the Lebanon Police Department to assist in conducting a traffic stop on Perez, and prior to the arrival of a marked Lebanon Police Department vehicle, Perez travelled to a business in the 800 block of West Pearl Street, authorities report.
A traffic stop was reportedly conducted at the business, and officers on the scene developed reasonable suspicion of criminal activity, which led to the response from the Whitestown Police Department K9 Unit. The K9 conducted a free air sniff of the moped, which provided the officers with positive indication of possible narcotics, authorities report.
A probable cause search was conducted on the moped where several evidentiary items were located, including approximately 115 grams of methamphetamine, which authorities reported was about 1,150 single dosage units of the substance.
Perez was arrested on preliminary charges of dealing in methamphetamine, Level 2 Felony, possession of methamphetamine, Level 3 Felony, possession of marijuana, Class A Misdemeanor, and possession of paraphernalia, Class A Misdemeanor.
Perez was booked into the Boone County Jail on the preliminary charges. The Boone County Prosecutor’s Office will be tasked with filing official charges in the future.
The department issued a reminder that all parties involved are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
